Histories

It has been the custom for J Calvin Goheen to carry home in a tin box at the close of business each evening the unbanked cash and checks, proceeds of J C Goheen and Brother store in East Tyrone for one or more days. At about 9:30 o'clock Saturday evening as usual Mr Goheen after the store was closed, with the box in hand proceeded toward his home, 2232 Adams avenue, by was of Columbia avenue and Twenty-second street. Just after turning the corner from Columbia avenue onto Twenty-second street he passed a large man standing on the inside of the pavement, with cap pulled close over his eyes. Soon as Mr Goheen passed the man the latter followed him. Supposing that it was the purpose of the an to grab the money box Mr Goheen tightened his grip on it and increased his pace to a rapid walk for the purpose of getting past an ally, a short distance ahead, quickly as possible. Just before he had reached the alley however, another man smaller than the one following him, ran from the alley and with a heavy club struck Mr Goheen a severe blow across the breast just above the pit of the stomach.

The blow knocked Mr Goheen into the gutter at the edge of the pavement. He alighted on his back, and although the breath was knocked out of him for a moment, he did not lose consciousness nor presence of mind. In an instant the big fellow grabbed the prostrate man by the throat and proceeded to chock him, while the little one grabbed the money box and made a desperate effort to wrench it from the hand of Mr Goheen, but with a tremendous amount of strength concentrated on his grip of the box the latter kicked furiously and forced the big man to release his grip upon the neck, and step back a pace or two, like the coward that he evidently is. At the same moment the breath of Mr Goheen returned and with all the power he could summon yelled "Gardner," intending the outcry to reach John Gardner who lives with his mother in that locality. In the mean time, Mrs Goheen has been watching from an upstairs window of he home for the approach of her husband, and with an umbrella, as it was raining she was on her way to meet him when she heard his cry which she took to be "murder" instead of "Gardner." Mr Gardner and others living in the vicinity also thought it was a cry of murder. Mrs Goheen at one screamed, and several neighbors quickly ran to the street. At the same time the two men abandoned the effort to secure the money box ad escaped through the alley while a number of people gathered at the spot where the attack was made.

The blow with the club and the grip of the villain on the neck left their marks upon the person of Mr Goheen and a soreness as well, but beyond that he was not injured. The shock to his nerves and to those of Mrs Goheen also was pretty severe. Mr Goheen remained at home all day Sunday but he is now at his store attending to business. It had been the custom of his clerk J K Fleck to keep a which of Mr Goheen on the way home at night, though the latter was not aware of it but having noticed Constable Stonebraker in the vicinity at the time the store closed he did not shadow his employer Saturday night. It being the pay day season, the box contained a large amount of cash and checks, a fact which the villains were evidently aware of, but fortunately they failed to capture the box and its contents, owing to their awkward way of going about the job and to the grit displayed by their would-by victim.